Calling it the National Capital Region’s “premier STEM symposium,” Altamira Technologies Corp. President Jonathan Moneymaker said the company was able to use the recent event to introduce “a variety of innovative and exciting technologies.”
The annual event was facilitated by WashingtonExec and presented by technology solutions provider Altamira. It brought together more than 4,000 attendees, making it the largest K-12 STEM Symposium in Northern Virginia.
“I don’t think we could have been more successful,” Moneymaker said. “The kids were excited about the exhibits, but it was great to also see so much interest in learning the science behind what they were doing, which is our objective. We want to inspire these future STEM heroes to think critically, be curious and not shy away from the impossible.”
Altamira’s RoboRoach activity allowed attendees to guide a cockroach through a maze through an iPad synced to a control system on the cockroach’s back. Students and parents discovered similarities between human and discoid cockroach nervous systems, and studied how technologies like these help doctors and scientists develop neuroprosthetics to treat people who’ve lost critical biological functions, like vision, hearing and motion, said Megan Hughes, strategic business coordinator for Altamira.
The yearly symposium provides the opportunity for students, parents and teachers to interact with key business, education, nonprofit and government leaders through real-life applications and presentations about how STEM impacts our community.
